leaving (again).

hey all! 

i apologize for not being a better blogger, but my life has been CRAZY this summer. 

now it's fall. 

my Mexico and Uganda trips are both over, but TODAY i leave for 7 weeks in New Zealand (+ one week in Australia). 

i am kind of in shock (almost) of the fact that this is ACTUALLY HAPPENING. 

i mean, i dreamed of going to Australia and New Zealand when i was a kid. i dreamed of going to Africa when i was a kid. i dreamed of going to Europe when i was a kid. now here i am, two months shy of my 20th birthday, and in the past year, i have spent three months in Greece and three months in Hawaii, two weeks in Uganda, a week in Mexico, and i'm about to spend 7 weeks in New Zealand and a week in Australia. sometimes i just stop and ask myself, "HOW IS THIS REAL LIFE."

i love my life. i love that my dreams are coming true. i love that every day is a crazy adventure...

...but i must say that i am looking forward to resting when i get back to America in October. i don't want to have to say "goodbye" for a while. i want to be still and listen to what God has planned for me in 2014. i want to pour myself into my relationships here (at my home in America), and really focus on discipleship and listening.

don't get me wrong, i am SO EXCITED to be going to New Zealand and Australia, and i can't wait to get there and make new friends, but i so need a season of rest right now. i just got back from Uganda two weeks ago, and the thought of spending another 20-ish hours on an airplane + jetlag kinda makes me depressed...but i think i'll be okay once i get there. here's to a smooth trip to New Zealand. America, i will see you again in October!

PS. if you don't remember what i'm doing in NZ, my friend, Amy, and i are flying to NZ to visit several dairy farms, then we're flying to Australia to visit a YWAM friend of mine. please pray for open doors to share our faith with the families we'll be staying with in NZ. :)

her.

i don't know her name.
i don't know her story.
i know nothing about her...

...but there's something about her.
her face.
her eyes haunt me.
i can't get her face out of my head.

this girl is special.
she is beautiful.
God knows her name.
He knows her story.
and He has a special plan for her,
this beautiful Ugandan child.

half of my heart.

i'm back from 2 weeks in Uganda.
i'm currently sitting on my bed in America, listening to Jesus Culture radio on Pandora, trying to process everything.
i'm near tears, my heart misses my new Ugandan family.
the only thing i want right now is to be back in Uganda.

i want to tell you everything that happened.
i want to describe every. little. thing.

but the words refuse come.

i want you to smell the things i smelled.
i want you to see the things i saw.
i want you to hear the things i heard.
i want you to feel the things i felt (feel).

but it doesn't work like that.

i want to write it all down, but i don't even know where to start.

i think i need to process it a little more before i can blog it.

all i know is that i left the other half of my heart in Uganda.
(i left the first half of my heart in Greece.)

hello from Uganda!

hey everyone!

just letting you know that i'm still alive. :)
i haven't had much time to get internet, but i'm okay and having fun in Uganda.

i can't wait to post photos for you all!

keep us and the kids we're working with in you prayers! thanks for your support! :)

dream big.

my passport came on Monday, praise the Lord! things are starting to come together. :)

i just took my first malaria pill, and it's starting to sink in that i am GOING TO AFRICA on Saturday!

when i was a kid, i dreamed about going to Africa someday. 

i remember wishing i could be grown up so i could travel the world. 

i remember thinking about what it would be like...and wondering if i'd ever get the chance to go. 

yet here i am. 

19 years old.

traveling the world.

i think the only reason i'm here, doing what i love to do, is because i dared to dream big. 

i talk to so many people who haven't traveled outside of the States, simply because they haven't done it. the only thing stopping them has been themselves. it bothers me because the world holds so many fantastic people and places. it's an adventure that i wouldn't want to miss. i can't imagine NOT traveling. i've dreamed big dreams, then watched God bring them into my life. 

i think i may be the luckiest girl alive. 

i'm living my dreams. 

Africa, here i come! :)

2 days until Uganda!

in the little things.

10 days before i'm scheduled to leave for Uganda, i'm sitting here waiting for my renewed passport to come back. can anyone say "ALL THE STRESS"? i mean, we're talking about the girl who finished college papers two weeks before they were due because she sorta kinda FREAKS OUT about deadlines (um, yes, that would be me). no, my passport isn't here yet and 10 days is cutting it kinda close. have i mentioned that i consider my passport to be nearly as sacred as my Bible? haha, okay i'm totally kidding on that one, but you get what i'm saying...you can't leave America without it! ;)

but let's get serious for a second. throughout this experience, God is teaching me.

He's saying that He is in control of the little things. He works behind the scenes. He wants my complete faith and trust. He's got this.

despite my anxiety and stress and worry, i know without a doubt that God has called me to Africa in August. i know i'm supposed to go. i know He will provide, i WATCHED Him provide. (even with the unexpected passport renewal cost + the bill from my vaccinations, i somehow still have enough money to go to Uganda, and almost enough to pay for my NZ & Australia trip!)

God is SO incredibly faithful to me. even when i stress out about little BIG things (like my passport not being here). He knows how i like to have everything planned at least 2 weeks in advance (okay, so i'm a teeny bit of a control freak). He knows my heart. and He wants my trust.

He has called me to Uganda. He is faithful and will take care of the details that are out of my control. <-- of this i have no doubt.


1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, "the One who called you is faithful and He will do it."

so if you're stressing out about something that's out of your control, i know exactly how you're feeling. but just remember that God works in everything. He's got it under control. :) if He has called you to something, He'll work out the details. don't stress.

10 days until Uganda!

PS. according to the passport people that i called today, i can be expecting my passport by this Saturday or the following Monday...so yeah. praise Him. :)

...and New Zealand & Australia.

Heyhey!

so i wanted to let you all know that i am planning another trip this year.

my best friend from Pennsylvania, Amy, and i are planning a trip to New Zealand and Australia in September (through October) of 2013. technically, this is not a "missions trip", but you're to be a missionary everywhere you go, yeah? :)

we will be working on several dairy farms in NZ, for about 6.5 weeks total, then going to Australia for a week to see the sights and hang with one of my best YWAM friend who lives in Australia.

we leave on Sept 5th and return to America on October 29th. :)